Your Girl Forever
by SaffronAngel
Summary: Angel left. Can an injury to Buffy bring him back to where he belongs?
1. Chapter 1: The Injury

DISCLAIMER: Do I have to? OK. Don't own anything but maybe a plot idea or two and a couple of characters. Other than that, all hail Joss.  
  
SPOILERS: None really. This is an AU fic which picks up shortly before season four  
starts. From that point on, it's all me.  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Dawn! Buffy!" Joyce Summers yelled from the foot of the stairs. "Your father will be here to pick you up in thirty minutes!"  
  
"Coming, Mom!" With that, fourteen-year-old Dawn Summers bounced down the stairs.  
  
"Where's Buffy?" Dawn shrugged. Buffy had met her friends at the Bronze the night before after which she was supposed to patrol. Dawn hadn't heard her come in and apparently neither had Joyce.  
  
"I would have figured she would already be down here ready to go. She seemed pretty excited to go yesterday."  
  
Joyce walked up the stairs to check Buffy's room. It was empty and obviously had been all night. Joyce started calling each of Buffy's friends. All of them saw her at the Bronze last night but had no idea where she was now. The last call she made was to Buffy's Watcher. Giles asked her to give him an hour and then call back. He had a phone call or two to make.  
  
  
"Justin, I need to find Angel. Buffy's missing and no one seems to have any idea where she might be."  
  
"I'll go talk to him and have him call you. Keep the line clear for a while."  
  
  
Twenty minutes later, Justin Fitzpatrick walked into Angel's room. "Angel?"  
  
"What is it, Justin? Council want to make sure that I'm still here?"  
  
"No. Giles just called. He needs your help in Sunnydale. Buffy's missing and--" Justin never got to finish the sentence. A hand wrapped around his neck and lifted him off the ground. His back made contact with the wall.  
  
"I know you didn't just say that Buffy's missing."  
  
  
"I swear. Giles called me and I came straight to you." Justin had never seen Angel in his game face before. "You can use my cell phone to call him. It's in my shirt pocket."  
  
Angel fished out the phone and called Giles. Giles verified the explanation. He asked Angel to get back quickly. "Be there later tonight." After he apologized to Justin, he got ready so that once the sun set he could be on the road in ten minutes.  
  
  
Back in Sunnydale, no one had thought to check the mansion. They all thought she had too many bad memories of that place to be there. But, the night she disappeared, Buffy had followed a particularly nasty demon to the mansion where she fought it. It slashed her open in several places. Thankfully only one was deep enough to actually bleed.  
  
When she killed the demon, it fell on her, breaking both legs. Buffy passed out from the pain and exhaustion. She woke up about six hours later to a great deal of pain. She also discovered that she was still bleeding and trapped under the demon. She tried to get free but it only made her bleed more. She finally relaxed a little and somehow fell asleep, weakened by blood loss and pain.  
  
  
Buffy had been missing for almost 24 hours when Angel got back to town. He started by talking to Giles. Then, he headed for the mansion. Something told him that Buffy would be there. When he opened the front door, the smell of blood that hit him made his head swim. There was a great hulking body laying in one corner of the front room.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a moan come from that very corner. He ran toward the body and drew up short when he saw the blond hair laying in a puddle of blood.  
  
With a roar, Angel threw the demon off his beloved Slayer. He took in her apparent condition at a glance. He ran to the bedroom and grabbed the sheet off the bed. Wrapping Buffy in the sheet, he sprinted out the door.  
  
  
Giles was awakened to a heavy pounding on his door at 3 in the morning. When he opened the front door, he went from being half asleep to wide awake. He grabbed his phone and called the hospital, telling them to call Dr. Rachel Carrington and tell her that Rupert Giles was bringing in Buffy Summers. Then he ran for his car where Angel sat holding Buffy as tight as he could without hurting her.  
  
  
Angel walked into exam room 1 at Sunnydale Hospital. Dr. Carrington was waiting for them when they got there. "What kind of demon was it?"  
  
"I don't know." Angel described the demon and both Rachel and Giles knew what demon Buffy had fought.  
  
"Torlonin. They have a poison and an anti-coagulant on their claws. The anti-toxin should be in the kit the council sent with me."  
  
When the doctor brought in the kit, she looked up the demon type on her laptop and administered the right dosage of anti-toxin and clotting agent.  
  
About this time, Buffy started to come around. She saw the doctor setting up an IV to give her blood. She could tell that she was already starting to heal.  
  
"Doctor, she's waking up." Giles? Giles was here? "Buffy? You're going to be alright. Doctor Carrington is specially trained by the council. She has already given you the anti-toxin. She's getting ready to set your legs. They're both broken." She felt a strong hand take hold of hers while another one brushed the hair from her forehead.  
  
Turning her head, her glazed green eyes met a concerned pair of warm brown ones that she had believed she would never see again. "Angel?"  
  
"Rest. I'm here and I'm not leaving you."  
  
"Angel, stay with her. I'm going to go call her mother." Angel just nodded.  
  
"I'm ready to set her legs."  
  
"Are you ready, love?" Buffy just nodded, keeping her eyes locked on Angel's. The doctor set the first leg and Buffy bit her lip, drawing blood. Tears welled up in her eyes. She squeezed Angel's hand and he felt the bones snap and crack under the pressure. The doctor cast the leg quickly and moved to the other leg following the same procedure.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy cried as the doctor set her second leg.  
  
"Hang on, sweetheart. She's almost done." Angel kept his eyes on Buffy's face the whole time. He wanted to pick her up and carry her out of there but he knew that she needed medical attention.  
  
"Angel, it hurts. Make it stop!" she whimpered, wrapping one arm around her stomach.  
  
"Buffy! Buffy! Tell me what's wrong!" He pulled her into his arms and brushed the hair out of her face. Panicked, he looked at Rachel. "What's wrong with her?"  
  
"It looks like an allergic reaction. But I don't know what's causing it. If it's the clotting agent, antitoxin or the toxin itself."  
  
Giles walked back into the room. "Maybe it's a combination of things. Why don't you check the database?"  
  
Rachel turned back to her laptop. After a few moments, she found what she was looking for. "Mr. Giles?"  
  
Giles stepped over to look at the screen. This was not good. The toxin and the clotting agent caused a violent reaction when mixed. Unfortunately, the only way out was to let the reaction run its course. That could take up to 24 hours.  
  
"What's wrong with her, Giles?"  
  
Giles pulled off his glasses and started wiping them. "Angel, it looks like this is a reaction between the clotting agent and the toxin. I'm afraid all we can do is let it run its course."  
  
"How long will that take?"  
  
"It could take as long as 24 hours. It will be very painful for her. She will even have convulsions."  
  
"Can I stay?" Giles nodded and wiped off his forehead. They were all in for a long night.  
  
"That might even be for the best. She may need to be restrained at times to prevent her from hurting herself further. I don't think the straps that the hospital has will be enough to hold her down." He gazed straight into Angel's eyes, knowing he was asking a lot of the vampire. "You may be the only one who can hold her down."  
  
"I'll do my best."  
  
Just then, Joyce burst through the door to the room. "Where's Buffy? What demon got to her this time? And why is HE back?"  
  
"Mommy." Joyce ran to the other side of the bed and took her daughter's hand. "Don't be mean to Angel. He brought me here. He saved me."  
  
"I'll try, baby. Let's just get you better." Buffy nodded and lay back on the bed. Joyce stepped over to Giles. "Now, tell me what's going on."  
  
"Joyce, apparently last night Buffy had an encounter with a Torlonin demon. They have a poison on their claws as well as an anticoagulant. Buffy was pretty badly slashed in one place and mildly in a few others. The doctor made a mistake and administered the antitoxin and the clotting agent at the same time. The clotting agent reacts rather violently with the poison. Both of her legs were broken in the battle but that seems to be the least of her injuries. It looks like she'll have to stay here about 24 hours. There's no way around that. This reaction is violent enough to cause convulsions. That's one of the main reasons you should be grateful that Angel is here. The hospital doesn't have straps strong enough to hold her when she convulses. Angel will have to hold her down. And that won't be easy for him to do. Look at him. Does he look like he wants to hurt Buffy? It will hurt him to restrain her more than she could hurt herself if he doesn't." Joyce was now looking at Angel in a whole new light as he murmured soothingly to her oldest daughter.  
  
Suddenly, a look came across Angel's face and he stood up. "Joyce, Giles, you might want to stay back." He placed one arm across Buffy's thighs and one across her chest. As the convulsion started, he simply put just enough pressure on his arms to hold Buffy on the bed without hurting her.   
  
His tears started falling as he talked soothingly to her. "That's right, Buffy. Don't fight me. It's ok. I'm here. Don't fight." As the convulsion faded away, he eased up on the pressure while continuing to croon to her. "That's my girl. That's right. Relax. That one's all over. Take it easy, sweetheart."   
  
Angel looked at Joyce and she wanted to cry when she saw the pain in his eyes. She turned to Giles. "I can't help but feel like this is all my fault. If I hadn't pushed for him to leave, she would have had someone to back her up out there that night. She wouldn't be lying here so weak."  
  
"Joyce, this isn't your fault." Angel had stepped up behind her. "Even if I had been here, there's no guarantee that she would have even asked me to come along on patrol. If I had, she still may have ended up here. Just would have gotten here a little sooner. That's all."  
  
"Angel, I'm sorry. Please don't leave her. I realize that you could be the one that keeps her alive. Help me to take care of her."  
  
"I will, Joyce. I love her too."  
  
With the truce laying between them, they settled in to wait.  
  
  
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A/N: I know, here comes another one. As if I didn't have enough fanfics started that I haven't worked on in a while. Oh well, deal with it. I'm trying to update the others that need it. Just hang in there. I had to get this one out because the muses kept kicking me in the butt.  
Please to r&r this one and the others. Thanks. 


	2. Chapter 2: Recovery

Buffy was asleep on the little hospital bed. She was exhausted after each of the convulsions. It was easy to see how bad they were just by the look on her face.  
  
Angel pushed the hair out of her face. "It shouldn't be long now, sweetheart. It should be almost over." He stood up. "Giles, I need --"  
  
Giles nodded. "Send in Oz. He can help me hold her if she has another convulsion before you return."  
  
Angel nodded and left the room. He hated to leave Buffy but if he didn't feed soon, he would be tempted to feed from her again and she didn't need that. Not now.  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Oz, go in and watch with Giles for a bit? I have to step out for a minute."  
  
"No problem." Oz went into the room and Angel turned to Joyce.  
  
"Yes, Joyce?"  
  
"I know that you and I don't get along very well. I just wanted to say I'm sorry for my attitude earlier and for trying to push you away from Buffy."  
  
"I understand. You were just trying to protect Buffy. I just wish you could understand that that is the only thing I want to do. I love her more than my own existence."  
  
"I think I do. Would you like to help me take care of her after this? I know it won't be long. Slayer healing and all that."  
  
"I would be happy to, Joyce. In fact, knowing that you have the gallery and all, if you want to, she can stay with me while she's healing. You, and Dawn if she doesn't go to L.A. with her dad, can visit her anytime and I'll bring her over to your house at night while I patrol for her."  
  
"We'll see what Buffy wants to do. After all, she is an adult now. Thank you."  
  
Angel nodded with a small smile on his face and walked away to go find a meal. Maybe the blood bank would still be open.  
  
  
"How is she?" Angel asked, walking back into the room. Buffy was asleep on the bed. She looked worn out.  
  
"One convulsion since you left. It wasn't a very big one. Oz was able to handle it by himself. I just stood back and kept Joyce from jumping in." Giles was standing by the bed and Joyce was standing on the other side. Oz was holding an ice pack to his face.  
  
"Oz, what happened to your face?"  
  
Joyce shyly raised her hand. "I did it. He was holding Buffy down and he kind of forgot to let go of her after the convulsion. He was holding her down a little hard and hurt her. I hit him."  
  
"You hit him?" Angel was really amazed. He didn't think that Joyce had it in her. Of course, this was her little girl they were talking about. Buffy meant so much to both him and her mom that either one would lay down their life for her.  
  
"He hurt my little girl." Joyce shrugged and left it at that. She had apologized to Oz. She didn't feel that she owed anyone else an explanation.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy asked quietly. "Are you back?"  
  
Angel hurried over to Buffy and kissed her cheek while taking her hand. "I'm back, sweetheart. I just needed to feed. You aren't mad at me, are you?"  
  
"Never. I could never be mad at you." She seemed to be having a hard time breathing.  
  
"Are you ok, love?"  
  
"My ribs hurt. I think one or two may be broken."  
  
"It's possible that they broke because of the convulsions," the doctor said walking into the room. She started pushing lightly against Buffy's ribs, quickly finding two broken on each side. "Let me wrap those and then you can rest again."  
  
Giles stepped up to her side. "I'm very proud of you, Buffy. You've held up so well. I just wanted you to know that."  
  
"It should be all over in about four hours, sweetheart. Then, maybe we can take you home."  
  
"Buffy, Angel has offered to let you stay with him while you heal. He says Dawn and I can come over anytime to see you and he'll bring you to the house at night while he patrols." Joyce held her breath for a moment. "If you want to do that, I understand. He would be better able to help you get around than I can."  
  
"I think that might be a good idea for now, Buffy." Giles was supporting her staying with Angel. They must think that it might take a little while for her to heal.  
  
"I think I will stay with Angel. Just until I'm healed enough to get around on my own." She smiled at Angel. "Thank you. Thank you for coming back and saving me. You always seem to be there when I need saving."  
  
"I enjoy it. Trust me." Angel and Buffy shared a look which Joyce couldn't deal with. She stood up and walked out of the room. Giles followed her.  
  
  
"Joyce, are you really alright with this?"  
  
"Not really but how can I argue? Angel can help her better than I can."  
  
"Only because he's stronger than you are. Joyce, no one will ever take your place in your daughter's life. She is your oldest daughter and will always be." Giles touched Joyce's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "It doesn't matter who comes along that she loves. You will never lose her. You'll always be her mother."  
  
"I know. It's just hard to deal with the fact that she's growing up." Joyce walked into a comforting embrace within Giles' arms. 


	3. Chapter 3: Cleaning Up

The next day, Buffy sat in a wheelchair as Giles pushed her out to her mom's car. She couldn't wait to get away from the hospital. Everyone had been in to see her. She had gotten quite a bit of sleep too though.  
  
She hadn't realized how much sleep she was missing out on, being the Slayer and all. She obviously needed to spend some time just catching up on her sleep. It would be good to be with Angel over the summer. He would make sure that she rested plenty but didn't get weak.  
  
She almost liked the thought of depending on him. He was one of the few stable things in an otherwise highly unstable life. At least he was sticking around, unlike her dad who had left the day before when he realized that Buffy was going to need a lot of care over the summer. He had just taken off, leaving Dawn alone in the house. Xander had gone over and picked her up.  
  
Xander had even canceled his trip to see America to stay and help Buffy. Willow was helping Buffy put together her schedule for the first semester. They would be taking all their classes together and Willow had even found a Wicca group to work with to increase her knowledge, thinking that maybe she could help Buffy even more if she could cast more powerful spells. Although that restoration spell wasn't exactly a glamor.  
  
Anya was trying to be more like the gang. Cordelia had decided to stay in Sunnydale after all. As had Wesley. After all, the only reason he had for going to Los Angeles in the first place was now back in Sunnydale and the second reason was staying put after all. He had to admit that he really liked Cordelia. Matter of fact, if he could get past the fact that she was only seventeen and he was almost thirty, it might turn into something more than that.  
  
Oz was a firm fixture in Willow's life. He and the little redhead were almost inseparable. In fact, they had set things up to get a house just off campus for the whole college segment of the gang to stay in.  
  
Giles was to start working in the college library at the same time that the gang started college. Wesley would be his assistant. That was satisfactory to everyone involved.  
  
  
"Buffy?" Joyce's voice brought her daughter out of her thoughts of how the coming school year was shaping up for the gang. "Where did you go, sweetheart?"  
  
"Probably daydreaming about Angel again." Dawn just loved to antagonize Buffy about the way she felt about Angel.  
  
"Dawn, if I wasn't in so much pain, I would gladly knock you back to the house from here." Buffy had been trying to hide how much she hurt at that moment but she just had to wipe the smug look off Dawn's face.  
  
"Buffy, are you really in that much pain?" Dawn and Joyce were worried. They hadn't had a chance to fill Buffy's prescription yet. They were going to do that after they dropped her off at Angel's.  
  
"I'll be ok. Just drop me off at Angel's and then fill my script. Just like we planned." Buffy winced as she tried to settle herself a little differently on the back seat. "Pull up into the garage. He can carry me in from there."  
  
"Ok, sweetie. Just hang on." Just then, they pulled into the garage at the mansion. Angel was waiting at the door to the house for the garage door to close so he could step up and pick up Buffy from the car. She waved to her mom from the doorway as they pulled away from the mansion to go to the drugstore.  
  
Once her mom was out of sight, Buffy turned to Angel in tears and begged him to take her inside and set her in the bed. He did as his love asked him, almost in tears himself for her pain and her bravery for not telling her mom.   
  
After he had settled her into the bed, he went out to the kitchen and got her some orange juice. He would be ready when Joyce and Dawn came back with the pills.   
  
  
Thankfully, it didn't take them long. Joyce had been worried about having to pay for the meds but the Council had already been informed of Buffy's little hospital visit and arranged for the bill to be sent to them for everything. Including Buffy's pain pills.  
  
Joyce pulled into Angel's driveway and went up to the door. Almost before she could knock, Angel opened the door to let her in. "I'm glad you're back," he said. "She's in the bedroom. This way." He led Joyce back to the room.  
  
Opening the door quietly, Angel called out, "Buffy, your mom's here with your medication."  
  
"Come on in." Joyce walked in and gave Buffy a sympathetic smile. "Hi, mom." Buffy seemed dazed. Her eyes were glassed over by pain and she was a little paler than usual.  
  
"How do you feel, honey?"  
  
"I hurt. A lot. Every muscle in my body feels like it's been twisted into knots." Joyce could tell that Buffy was fighting back tears and she quickly handed her oldest daughter the required dose of pain medication. "Thanks, mom."   
  
Joyce sat beside Buffy until the medication kicked in and she fell asleep.  
  
  
"Thanks for hurrying back with that, Joyce."  
  
"She was in so much pain. She didn't say anything though. So brave." Joyce composed herself and looked up at Angel. "Take good care of her, Angel. She loves you more than I ever could have guessed."  
  
"I will, Joyce. I promise."  
  
He let Joyce out and then started cleaning up the mess in the living room. He had removed the body before Buffy came over and now he had to clean up all the blood and goo. He smiled when he thought of Buffy, punning through her pain and exhaustion as she battled the Torlonin demon. That was his girl. His Buffy.  
  
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A/N: There's the next chapter on this one. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a few more chapters up on some of the others soon. Got a lot to do right now.  
  
Thanks for the reviews, everyone who reviewed. 


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